A variety of electronic displays are used with electronic devices. Displays can operate using either emissive (pixels generate light), transmissive (light transmitted through pixels) and reflective (ambient light reflected) approaches. Display types may include, for example, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) which use liquid crystal cells that change transmission, or reflection in an applied electric field, organic light emitting diode (OLED) devices which utilize a light emitting diode (LED) in which an emissive electroluminescent film of organic compounds emits light in response to an electric current, and different types of electrophoretic displays in which pigmented particles are moved in response to an electric field (e.g. Gyricon, E-ink, etc.).
The LCD panel typically consists of two sheets of glass separated by a sealed-in liquid crystal material. Both sheets have a thin transparent coating of conducting material, with the viewing side etched into segments with leads going to the edge of the display. Voltages applied between the front and back coatings disrupt the orderly arrangement of the molecules sufficiently to darken the liquid and form visible patterns.
Additionally, displays have been developed that can detect the presence and location of touch, e.g., by a finger, or passive object such as a stylus or digital pen, are commonly referred to as touch screens. Touch screens have become a component of many computer and electronic devices. Many LCD displays are manufactured to include touch screen functionality. Touch screens can be attached or incorporated into to computers, networks, mobile telephones, video games, personal digital assistants (PDA), tablets, or any digital device. A variety of technologies are currently used to produce a device with touch screen capabilities. Technologies that enable touch screen functionality include: resistive touch screen panels; surface acoustic wave technology; capacitive sensing panels (e.g., using surface capacitance technology or projective capacitive touch technology, which uses either mutual capacitive sensors or self-capacitive sensors); infrared; optical imaging; dispersive signal technology; and acoustic pulse recognition. Touch screen functionality can be combined with a display in a device in many configurations. The touch screen sensing circuits can be incorporated directly in or on the layers of the display (using, for example, “in-cell” or “on-cell” approaches), built on a separate substrate which is laminated onto the display (e.g., using an “out-cell” approach), or laminated on a cover lens which protects the display in the device, or the sensing circuits can be incorporated directly on the back-side of this cover lens (“Touch-on-Lens”). See, for example, US2011/01025678A1 to Erhart published May 5, 2011, US2011/0102569A1 to Erhart published May 5, 2011, US 2011/0267298A1 to Erhart published Nov. 3, 2011, and US2012/0242635A1 to Erhart published Sep. 27, 2012.
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, electronic devices can be configured to include a variety of components and features including: a display, a touch screen, a scratch-resistant cover (e.g., lens), storage, a system on a chip, a CPU core, a GPU core, memory, Wi-Fi connectivity (e.g., 902.11 b.g), Bluetooth connectivity (e.g., USB connector), camera, audio, battery (e.g., built-in, rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery), power connector, computer readable media, instructions capable of being performed by computer readable media (e.g., software), etc.
One drawback of currently available electronic device interfaces is that the screen can be damaged fairly easily. This can be particularly problematic for devices that are designed for increased mobility and may be subjected to harsh conditions. Currently, devices having an interface are manufactured to withstand a drop of ˜1 foot. As will be appreciated, portable devices such as smart phones, touch pads, and other devices having currently available interfaces may often be deployed in environments where the device will be subjected to physical trauma, such as having a user drop the device from a height greater than 1 foot or having a heavy object fall on the device What is needed, therefore, is a device interface that can withstand the force of an impact equivalent to an impact resistance drop test performed at a height greater than 1 foot, more preferably, greater than 4 feet and even more preferably greater than 6 feet.